Page 34 of The Consequence of You (Heathley Academy #2)

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CALLIE

B efore I can react, the cold knife is pressed against my throat. Not hard enough to break the skin, but hard enough to know the man wielding it is deadly serious about his intentions.

Carlo.

The guard Rossi fired a few weeks ago grabs my arm, and twists it tightly behind me as he snarls in my face.

“I knew they’d take their eye off the prize, eventually.

” I blink rapidly and try to shake him off, but he presses the blade harder into my neck, and this time, there’s a sharp painful sting.

Immediately I stop wriggling. My self-defence lessons taught me to do what it takes to survive primarily, and then think about escape, and right now my most immediate action needs to be to stay still, or I’ll be bleeding out before I get a chance to even come up with a plan .

He moves around my back, gripping both my shaking hands in one of his, the other still holding the knife to my carotid.

“Stay quiet or I’ll slit your throat, right here, right now.

Do not underestimate me.” I manage a small nod as my stomach lurches violently and bile rises in my throat.

He smells of stale sweat and his hard muscle has me completely outmatched at this point.

I can only hope whatever his intentions are, whatever his motive is, he needs me alive to achieve it.

There is a rumble of thunder, and the rain continues to batter down, reminding me I’m not dead yet.

Carlo shoves me hard in the lower back and I momentarily lose my footing on the wet grass.

He yanks me back up by the arm before I hit the ground, my shoulder tearing at the awkward angle.

The knife cuts into my skin further, and time stretches impossibly thin as it dawns on me, this prick could accidentally kill, even if it’s not his intention.

I try to right myself so I can take the pressure off my neck.

Taking small, unsteady steps, I move with him as he directs me towards the back corner of the extensive gardens. He must have come in through the fencing at the back to avoid Rossi’s post out front. At least I hope that’s what’s happened, and he’s not hurt Rossi on his way to me.

Fuck, I was meant to ask if Rossi could wait inside today, but I’d forgotten when I heard about Mrs Hughes. If anything’s happened to him, I’ll never forgive myself. The sooner I get out of this situation, the quicker I can make sure he’s okay.

“What is it you want? Is it money? My father can get you some. ”

“Shut up you little bitch, I can’t think straight with you yammering on.”

“Please, tell me what you want?” I plead. He responds by biting down on my shoulder hard, and I yelp in pain.

“I said, shut the fuck up!” I choke down a cry as he pushes me forward, the stinging in my neck and shoulder increasing, and the seriousness of the situation hits me all at once.

No one knows I’m out here.

It could be another hour before the staff alerts anyone. Even longer if they assume I’ve gone home. If Carlo has a car behind that fence, I could be hours away before anyone even realises I’m missing.

A wave of dizziness threatens to overwhelm me.

ASHER

As soon as I see the black ambulance outside the nursing home, I know one of the residents has passed away. It was the same type of vehicle they used when my grandmother passed a few years ago.

I do hope it isn’t Mr Charles. Our chess games had quickly become something I looked forward to each week. He’d lived a long and varied life, including a long career in the Navy. He wasn’t always fully lucid but when he was, he was a fascinating conversationalist.

Passing the private ambulance, I notice Rossi in his vehicle. I nod to him as I pass, and he just raises an eyebrow at me. I’ll win the old bastard over, eventually. The only redeeming thing about him is he’s clearly dedicated his life to protecting my girl .

Signing in, I head to the staff room. Two nurses are talking.

“Poor thing. She looked so upset.”

“Mrs Hughes looked forward to Callie’s visits twice a week, and the way she learnt BSL for her. It was such a sweet friendship.”

Shit. I need to find Callie .

Leaving the staff room, I quickly look round the usual places, but she’s nowhere to be seen. Mr Charles is in the sitting room watching television with some of the other residents. He spots me and waves an empty glass at me.

“Son, you couldn’t refill my water, could you?” I take his glass and quickly head to the kitchen. I rush to replenish his drink, desperate to find Callie and check she’s okay.

I’m turning off the tap at the sink in the kitchen that overlooks the garden when something catches my eye.

I squint.

Which fool is out in the garden in this rain? The weather has been awful for days.

Moving to get a better view, my heart leaps into my throat.

My girl is out there and she’s not alone. That fucking prick bodyguard, the one who was perving on her a few weeks ago in the bar, is out there with her.

He has her arms twisted behind her back and he’s shoving her towards the corner of the garden.

Fuck, no.

Mr Charles’ drink forgotten about, I don’t take my eyes off Callie as I struggle to open the patio door.

Why the hell isn’t she fighting him off?

I know firsthand she’s more than capable of using her self-defence training.

The catch on the door has been sticking for weeks and I curse the nursing home for not having it fixed.

It finally clicks open but as I turn the door handle, I see the reason Callie hasn’t got the motherfucker pinned to the floor already.

The cunt has a fucking knife pressed to her throat.

Gut-wrenching fear, like nothing I’ve felt before, coils in my stomach. My thoughts scatter, seesawing between panic and an overwhelming desire to take action.

Spinning around, I tear open the kitchen drawers, frantically shoving cutlery and utensils aside, but there is absolutely nothing sharp in any of them.

Where the fuck are the knives?

The drawers now exhausted; I start yanking open cupboards until I reach a locked one. Only now remembering all the sharp implements are kept securely because of the residents with dementia.

All of my banging has caught the attention of one of the nurses as she comes racing into the kitchen.

“What’s going on?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Go out to the front and get Callie’s bodyguard. Tell him I need him out back.” The nurse’s mouth drops open and she stands gawking at me. “Now!”

I do not have time for this shit.

Grabbing the only thing that might be of use, a large heavy rolling pin, I push up my sleeves and inhale deeply.

As much as I want to run across the garden, the element of surprise is all I have on my side right now, so I open the door as cautiously as I can.

That fucker could fatally hurt her in a split second if I don’t get this right.

Taking small measured steps, my legs feel like dead weights as I make my way across the patio. Sticking to the periphery of the garden, I edge my way around the fencing, keeping out of his eyeline. My pulse quickens as I fight off the urge to run straight to them.

As I get closer, I nearly abandon my plan when the bastard bites her. Sinks his fucking teeth into her like an animal, and I want to tear his fucking head off.

My mouth dries and I increase my pace, moving quickly and quietly, thanking God the soft ground muffles my footsteps, allowing me to get within reaching distance undetected.

My intention had been to hit him from behind, but I soon realise it’s too risky while the knife is pressed to her neck.

Cold dread floods my veins at the uncertainty of what to do next.

Fuck. There’s only one option and it will leave me unarmed but I don’t know what else will work.

The thought of losing her, of this bastard doing something that can’t be undone, spurs a rush of adrenaline and I throw the rolling pin as hard as I can at the glass greenhouse a few metres to his left.

One of the large panes of glass shatters on impact, and he spins around in the direction of the noise.

In one fluid motion, I leap on his back and yank the arm holding the knife away from her.

The shock has him releasing his grip on her and she takes advantage of it straight away, dropping down and away from him.

My relief is short-lived as he rounds on me, managing to jab me hard in the ribs with his elbow, before swinging his knife wildly.

He misses, but I don’t go far, desperately trying to get myself between him and Callie.

He continues to swing the knife as I duck and dive .

“Run! Go and get Rossi. Don’t stop!” But of course, she ignores me, running in the opposite direction towards the smashed greenhouse. She snatches the discarded rolling pin as I use all my fencing experience to avoid him.

He’s bulkier than me, but he’s also slower, so I use my extra speed to dodge him. If he was unarmed, or I had my own weapon, I’d have taken this guy out by now, but I need to buy time until help comes.

There is no way I’m letting Callie near him to use that rolling pin. I shout at her to stay back, hoping to hell she does as I’ve asked for once. Just until Rossi gets here.

As I dodge another swing from her ex-bodyguard, he suddenly jerks backwards and cries out. Clutching his hand to his chest, he staggers before dropping to his knees. His face pales as a bright red stain blooms on his white shirt around the black handle that protrudes from his chest.

Thank fuck.

Twisting around, I see Rossi running towards us.

Jesus, that guy has good aim.

Callie’s attacker collapses to his side, his own knife dropping out of his hand. He reaches for it, but I kick it away from him, before stamping on his wrist as hard as I can. He cries out again as I feel a sickening crunch under foot. Good, that should slow the bastard down.

Satisfied he’s incapacitated, for now at least, I rush over to Callie.

She kneels in the wet grass, trembling violently.

Fuck.